L.L.Bean — Local services in Mansfield

Some background info-- I once worked for an employer who gave us LL Bean gift certificates every year for a Christmas bonus. This was about 21-24 years ago and at the time the gift certificates were paper like a check hand filled out and validated on a cash register as if it were a check. Like most gift certificates they wouldn't give you cash back unless it were under $5 or so but instead issue another gift check. Now I'm not sure how it is elsewhere but here in my state it is illegal for a gift certificate to expire so I've always spent my LL Bean money frugally replacing shoes when they wear out and stuff like that. Cut to about 4 years ago. I had my remaining gift certificate balance that was now a credit card looking thing as most gift certificates had migrated to that so I was issued that in return for my paper gift checks; it had a number and a magnetic strip. I had bought a tent to go to a Jeep rally with but not needing a light one since I wasn't packing it in I ended up finding a much cheaper albeit heavier tent at Walmart. So I went to the store to return it. They couldn't transfer my balance to the existing card but instead issued me a new one with the refunded money. So now I had two LL Bean gift certificate cards in my billfold. Cut to today. I go to LL Bean to buy a pair of slippers that I'd reserved online. I pull out my old credit card looking gift certificate and find the numbers that I would use to call in to inquire to the balance had worn off from the friction in the billfold. No worries I figure; the magnetic strip looks intact. I was wrong. Come to find out they now type in the same number that we call for balance inquiry. They haven't used the magnetic strip in a few years I'm told. Now here's why I give them a three rather than five stars as in the past. Only the LL Bean quality pulls this up from a 1 star visit. The manager when I complained that gift certificates in Massachusetts do not expire and they should be able to read their own card they issued told me to call corporate. In my humble opinion that was her job in the realm of customer service. Somewhere they must still have something to read the cards they used to swipe and issue a mere five years ago when it is illegal for a certificate to expire. She didn't call anyone or anything but effectively told me to pound sand. I don't know either if they have records of sales that they could reference where they could look and see that someone bought a tent and then returned said tent in May 2018 and was issued a gift certificate in return money and get the original card information that way. I don't even know if this manager worked at the store in 2018 but I am out a few hundred dollars and my gift certificate that doesn't expire effectively has.

Update: I pursued the issue with L.L.Bean proper via email as their response suggested. They were able to find my transaction and send me a email gift certificate virtually via email. I just used it to place an order for new shoes. Consequently I'm giving them four stars now rather than the three because I really do like LL Bean products, but I suggest your customer experience in a store is entirely dependent on that...

Back in November 2017 my mother purchased some LLBEAN moccasins for me as a gift. When she purchased this product she was under the impression and given information that they were covered under a 100% Lifetime Satisfaction guarantee. In 2018 LLBean return policy changed but all product purchased before this date would still be covered under the policy when purchased. So today I went to the Mansfield Ma location to exchange my moccasins for the second time because they are worn and have torn where the lace is held but was told I could not exchange them due to the return policy. Even with proof of purchase from 2017 they would not honor the 100% satisfaction guarantee. I then called the customer service line and they would also not honor this guarantee. Later emailing their customer service just to be sent a generic response of their current return policy and that they never offered a lifetime guarantee. I find it extremely disturbing that this product was purchased with intent and under conditions of a 100% satisfaction guarantee that is apparently no longer being honored. Show some integrity. You need to honor the terms your products are sold under.

“L.L. himself always said that he ‘didn’t consider a sale complete until goods are worn out and the customer still satisfied.’ Our guarantee is a handshake – a promise that we’ll be fair to each other. So if something’s not working or fitting or standing up to its task or lasting as long as you think it should, we’ll take it back. We want to make sure we keep our guarantee the way it’s always been for...

It is a shame that this store, and perhaps this company values their customers privacy so little. I love the merchandise, the sales help is very good, but they are very sloppy, or just plain untrustworthy to deal with. I cannot tell which. My wife and I went to the "grand opening" sale, and we bought a bunch of stuff. They asked us to,open a L L Bean Visa account, and we agreed. The clerk "Bob" told us that the computers were down, and that we had to do a paper application. I hesitated, but a women (I think she may have been a manager) came over and assured us that it would be safe. That was a month ago. After three weeks without hearing from anyone I checked with the c. c. issuer, and was told that they never received the application. I contacted L L Bean and they basically did nothing. So, did the app get lost? Did someone in the store steal it to use, or sell to identity thieves? I don't know. As for L L Bean, well. they just don't seem to care at all about it. Be very careful...